Liverpool City Council has completed the acquisition of a 4.55-acre stalled development site in Liverpool city centre.
The brownfield plot at Great George Street sits at the gateway to the city’s historic Chinatown and is close to the Baltic Triangle district.
Development of the site has stalled since 2017, due to a series of complex legal challenges on leaseholds, with the owner of the site, The Great George Street Project Limited, entering administration in February 2022.
The council has been working with the company’s administrators, Cowgills and Farleys Solicitors LLP, to try and finalise the acquisition and has now succeeded in securing the freehold interest, clearing the way for new homes and businesses to be built on the site.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority allocated £10m of funding to complete the purchase and bring forward development options for the site.
Nick Small, cabinet member for growth and economy at Liverpool City Council, said: “The acquisition of the stalled Great George Street development is a hugely significant step in resetting the story of this major gateway site. It’s proximity to the Baltic Triangle, which is undergoing huge change with plans afoot to radically upgrade the transport infrastructure there, means the future development of the Great George Street site is of critical importance to the city.
“I’d like to thank Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the government for their support in this process. I am looking forward to delivering new opportunities, homes and businesses, to create a vibrant and positive future for our historic Chinatown district.”
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, added: “I’m really pleased to see Liverpool City Council break through the many legal hurdles that have held this important site back for far too long. With that cleared, we’re now in a position to crack on with bringing new homes and jobs to the area, creating genuine opportunities for local people. Along with the addition of the new Liverpool Baltic Station, this is undoubtedly one of the most exciting development projects in the country.”
